


It's Been a Long Day, Baby

by Trashy_Bunny



Series: We've All Got Our Own Enemies [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Mob, Asexual Raphael Santiago, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, More Fluff, Protective Magnus Bane, Sweet Simon, Touch Adverse Raphael Santiago
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2019-11-01 18:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17872172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trashy_Bunny/pseuds/Trashy_Bunny
Summary: “Simon? Is this blood?” Raphael asked, his brow furrowed. Simon didn’t turn to look at him, spitting into the sink and quickly rinsing before tossing his toothbrush into the holder. Raphael stood there, waiting in silence. Simon inhaled sharply.Shit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Second part to this weird series I've been working on. I think I'm going to keep Saphael separate from the main story line in their own fics. Everything else related to the first story in this series, aka Malec, will be chapters. But altogether, its the same universe. This takes place after Chapter 1 of the main story. If you don't read the main story, most of this won't make a lick of sense.

“Simon, mi amor?  What is this?” Raphael’s voice drifted in from the bedroom, and Simon paused momentarily in brushing his teeth. He had gotten home about an hour ago, having stayed late at the office to eat with Alec and go over what the next move would be, and as soon as he’d returned, he had barely given Raphael a glance before stripping off his suit and hopping into the shower. He felt a little guilty after spending almost 45 minutes under the hot water and had finally climbed out to brush his teeth just a few minutes ago, preparing to go into the bedroom to face his boyfriend. The same boyfriend who had just walked into the ensuite bathroom holding Simon’s discarded suit jacket with a concerned look on his face.

“Simon? Is this blood?” Raphael asked, his brow furrowed. Simon didn’t turn to look at him, spitting into the sink and quickly rinsing before tossing his toothbrush into the holder. Raphael stood there, waiting in silence. A very familiar, expectant silence. Simon inhaled sharply.

_Shit._

“Yes its blood, no it isn't mine, work went fine, and I’ll have it dry cleaned tomorrow. I promise, Raphael, it’s all fine. Somebody got injured at the office and-” Raphael cut Simon off with a scoff and tossed the jacket on the floor at his feet, face twisted in disgust.

“Dios, Simon, when will you learn you’re a terrible liar? That’s not an office injury amount of blood. I’m no idiota.” Raphael shook his head, immediately turning and leaving the bathroom with a poorly veiled hurt expression on his face. Simon followed him quickly, despite not being in the mood to have any sort of argument after the day he’d had. Alec’s energy had drained him of all emotional reserves and he really just wanted to _sleep._

“Rapha, I’m not lying. It’s a complicated job, and yes, injuries can cause that much blood even in an office setting! I’ve seen it! There’s scissors, paper shredders and hot coffee, it’s practically a minefield.” Simon tried to joke, forcing a smile on his face. Raphael shut him down with a glare, lips pressed together thinly. Simon sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. “Rapha, I don’t know why you keep bringing this up. Why does it matter what I do? You don’t tell me about half your cases!” Simon shifted his tactics to deflecting, waving his hands in the air as he spoke. Raphael rolled his eyes in irritation, unwavering in his anger.

“I’m a defense attorney. They are _criminal_ court cases. I can’t just tell you whatever I want about them, Simon!” Raphael spoke slowly, emphasizing each word as if Simon was incapable of understanding him. Simon grit his teeth, his own aggravation starting to build beneath his skin.

“Raphael...please. I’m _tired_. I don’t want to have this argument anymore, I just want to sleep. I have to be back into the office early.” Simon pushed past his boyfriend, headed toward the bed with slumped shoulders when he felt a strong grip on his arm. He turned to see Raphael, all anger replaced with an intense look of concern.

“Swear to me, Simon. Swear to me that you’re safe. Swear to me that you aren’t doing anything I need to worry about. Me juras ahora mismo _._ ” _Y_ _ou swear to me right now._ He demanded, eyes searching Simon’s.

Simon smiled softly, the little tension left in him draining away as he reached up for Raphael’s face and gently ran a hand along his jaw. He pulled his arm from Raphael’s grip and wrapped it lightly around the man’s waist, pulling him closer.

“As you wish.” Simon paused, and when he spoke again, it was with a dramatic accent that had Raphael rolling his eyes. “I swear, oh I swear to you, Raphael! I swear I’m but an office simpleton and that nothing, nothing at all is wrong.” He gave the man a dopey grin and pressed closer, resting their foreheads together. He dropped the accent and stroked his thumb over Raphael’s cheek, his close shave prickling Simon’s skin. “I swear to you that everything is okay. Hakuna matata, yeah?” Simon winked at him and Raphael just quirked a brow in confusion. Simon scoffed in offense and began to sway them back and forth, singing softly. “It means no worries, for the rest of your days…” He paused, seemingly waiting for Raphael to finish the verse. The Latino man just snorted, shaking his head in exasperation as affection for the dorky man in his arms welled up in his chest.

“You are really going to quote another one of your pop culture movies at me?”

“Always.” Simon’s grin widened and Raphael huffed a sigh, pretending to be irritated and knowing Simon saw right through it. It didn’t bother him in the slightest and he relaxed further into the close hug Simon had wrapped him in, one arm around his waist and the other slung loosely around his neck.

At that moment, as they fell into a comfortable silence, Simon was suddenly awestruck by the man in front of him. His curls were loose and free from their normal gelled stated, his dark brown eyes alight with emotion and his face was soft, the typical grumpy furrow in his brow absent. The soft and fuzzy man beneath the stern outer shell, the man that enjoyed Marvel movie marathons, listening to classic rock, and even once admitted to loving Simon’s quote,‘ _ridiculous_ ’, spaghetti tacos.  The man Simon was terribly in love with and dead set on protecting whether he knew it or not. Simon was positive he’d never seen anyone more beautiful.

“Can I kiss you?” Simon’s voice was just above a whisper, his eyes searching Raphael’s hesitantly. His worst fear was making the other man uncomfortable, even after having been together for almost a year and a half. He always asked before he did anything, knowing his boyfriend had limits to the amount of intimacy and physical affection he could handle at any given time. Sometimes Simon asked with words, other times with light touches, a brush of fingers on his cheek that gave Raphael the chance to lean in or shy away, or even something simpler, a shared look of silent communication between the two of them that had been honed over time in their relationship. Simon didn’t mind, he never had, but he knew that Raphael had been treated poorly by a few past partners for his sexuality and when they’d began dating, he vowed to make sure he always had consent.

Raphael’s hand came up to cup the back of Simon’s neck and he smirked, the cool and cocky attitude returning as quickly as it had dissipated.

“I don’t know, _can_ you?” Raphael leaned in closer, his lips barely an inch from Simon’s. Now it was Simon’s turn to roll his eyes as he removed his arm from his boyfriend’s shoulders to gently grip Raphael’s chin and press their mouths together. The kiss was soft and chaste, never any expectation behind it, as Simon always intended them to be. Raphael parted his lips just barely, his breath ghosting across Simon’s mouth as he pulled back. Simon’s hand slid around from his chin to the back of his neck, skirting along his jawline before threading his fingers into the soft curls at the base of his skull. He carded his hand repeatedly through them, silently marveling at how long his boyfriend’s curls actually were when they weren’t locked in product.

“I’ll never get used to that.” He mumbled after a moment, eyes darting down to Raphael’s lips again.

Raphael arched an eyebrow. “To what?”

“Kissing you.” Simon responded, dropping his hand from the man’s hair to squeeze his arm affectionately before stepping away, heading over to the nearby dresser. He rummaged around for a moment, searching for pajama pants in the disorganized mess and finally finding a pair of Star Wars ones. He dropped the towel that he’d secured around his waist in the bathroom earlier and tugged them on, opting not to change his t-shirt despite the fact that it was still damp from being put on right after his shower.

“Well considering that we don’t kiss very often, I can see why it would be hard to get used to.” Raphael responded. Simon turned at the sudden bitter edge to his voice, brows furrowed.

Raphael was pulling off his shirt and tossing it into the laundry basket, his back turned to Simon.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it, Rapha. Is something going on? You have been... on edge lately.” Simon climbed into bed, sitting up against the headboard and waiting for Raphael to join him. His boyfriend turned and kept his head down as he climbed into bed and Simon’s eyes caught on his scars, as they always did no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. Seven long pink lines across his chest, trailing from his collarbone all the way down to his hip and disappearing beneath the edge of his pajama pants. They made Simon nauseous, knowing the intention and history behind each, knowing that, as innocent as they might look now, they’d once been deep and gaping wounds. Simon tore his eyes away.

“It’s just the case I’m working on. It’s not cut and dry. The man on trial...he isn’t good per se...but the crime he committed was for good reason. I can’t even believe I’m saying that but-” Simon’s phone rang loudly from the bedside table and Raphael sighed. “You should get that.”

Simon opened his mouth to protest when his phone rang again. He groaned in frustration and grabbed it from the bedside table, answering before even looking at the contact.

“What?” He snapped.

“If you were anyone else, that’d piss me off. I just called to tell you that you don’t need to come in tomorrow. I’m taking a personal day. Sounds like you need one too.” Alec’s voice was stern and before Simon could respond, he hung up. Simon heaved a sigh and threw his phone back onto the side table. Raphael propped himself up on his elbow to stare at his boyfriend.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I have the day off tomorrow, I guess.” Simon slid down in bed and turned on his side toward Raphael. “Do you have to work?”

Raphael frowned. “For a little while. I need to go over my case notes but after that, I’m free.”

Simon rolled onto his back and gestured Raphael over. “Come here?” He asked, holding his arm up. Raphael moved closer, pressing lightly into Simon’s side and resting his head down on Simon’s chest. He brought a hand up and lay it on Simon’s chest as well, though he kept their legs from touching. Simon smiled and ran a hand through Raphael’s hair, pressing a light kiss to the top of his head. As Raphael slipped off to sleep next to him, guilt panged in his chest. He hated lying to his boyfriend. But he hoped that if Raphael ever found out, he would understand.

He’d understand, right?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after Chapter 9 of the main story in this series. Just some good old fluff for ya!

“Raphael!” Simon jumped up from the couch the moment Raphael entered the apartment, frantically waving his hands as he spoke. He looked a mess, his hair in disarray from running his hands through it, his shirt rumpled and eyes wide as saucers. His words were rapidfire out of his mouth, barely pausing to breathe. “I-I’ve been freaking out, I tried your-your phone, I tried the office, I tried the courthouse, I tried everything! You’ve been gone for hours! I was worried that Jonathan-”

Raphael interrupted him, stepping forward and cutting off the man’s long winded panic by wrapping him in a tight hug. He buried his face in Simon’s neck, taking a deep breath and doing his best to ease the tension from his own body. He could already feel the deep throb above his shoulder blades start to make its way up neck, threatening to quickly become a massive headache. He did his best to focus on Simon, who was clinging to him like a lifeline, his own body strung tighter than a bow with the worry he’d been suffering through over the past few hours. As touch averse as he was, Raphael didn’t often seek out physical contact, let alone accept receiving it. There were always rare occasions, such as treating Alec’s injuries earlier that day, allowing the other man to make sure his nose hadn’t been broken, handshakes at work, or a polite hug for Catarina but outside of that, Simon was the biggest exception he ever made. The man made him feel comfortable, like nothing more than Raphael could give was ever expected. There were no requirements, no consequences to saying no or pulling away. It was something Raphael had never experienced in his previous relationships.

Even now, as he pressed his face into the bare skin of Simon’s neck, relishing the way the other man gently cradled the back of his head and rubbed a hand up and down his back in comfort, he knew he could pull away and Simon wouldn’t try and follow. It was things like that that made him want to stay in the other’s embrace even longer. He smelled like the honey body wash he always insisted on buying, with a hint of spice from the cinnamon and amber cologne Raphael had gifted him for Hanukkah last year. He smelled like home.

“Raphael, I’m sorry, I was just worried...are you okay? What happened?” Simon’s voice was soft in Raphael’s ear, wavering slightly. Raphael squeezed him tighter for a moment before pulling back enough to look Simon in the eyes. He realized his mistake a moment too late. “Holy shi-, Rapha, what the hell happened to your face? Did you get attacked?” Simon reached up a hand, cupping Raphael’s cheek and examining his swollen and black eye closely. “I can call Alec, we can take care of whatever son of a-”

Raphael lay his hand over Simon’s. “It’s alright, mi amor. That won’t be necessary, I promise. I wasn’t attacked. And I’m sorry I didn’t answer my phone, I left it in my office earlier today and forgot to go back for it after my lunch. I...decided to visit Magnus’s loft.” He paused, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “And I found Alec there, actually. He wasn’t in a good state, he was having a breakdown and he made a mistake. I snuck up on him, hence the black eye. We have just spent the last few hours going over information on Magnus in a cafe. I’m sorry, I should have used his phone to call.” Raphael shook his head, frowning, eyes apologetic. Simon rubbed his thumb back and forth across Raphael’s cheekbone.

 

“I was so terrified. Working for Alec, getting you involved in all of this...I panicked. I couldn’t think straight and I thought that maybe-” Simon began to get worked up again, his breathing stuttering from his mouth, his eyes darting around and looking lost.

“Simon. Si, hey. Focus on me.” Raphael murmured, leaning his forehead against Simon’s, forcing the man to look at him. He couldn’t help but smile as he gazed into those familiar deep brown irises, noting the dilation of his boyfriend’s pupils as he leaned in closer. He watched as they slid shut and Simon exhaled, the stress bleeding from his body and replaced with relief as Raphael locked him into a firm, reassuring kiss.

“I’m okay. We’re okay, mi amor.” The words were mumbled against Simon’s mouth and his hands tightened their grip on Raphael for a moment as he grounded himself.

Simon nodded slightly, eyes still closed. Raphael could feel the man’s hands slipping down to his hips as he pulled away from the kiss, resting there lightly. “I know. I just...yeah. Yeah, okay. We’re okay.”

Raphael watched Simon’s eyes flicker open and a weak smile pulled at his lips. Raphael just gazed at him in silence for a moment, enjoying the closeness of their embrace. Simon watched him just the same, suddenly looking at Raphael like he was scared the man would disappear if he blinked again. Raphael knew what was coming before Simon even opened his mouth.

“Can-” Simon began and Raphael finished his sentence for him with a raised brow.

“You kiss me again?” Raphael chuckled, eyes bright as the tension surrounding them eased away. “Yes, you can.” Simon didn’t move after Raphael’s response, eyes still fixed on his face. Raphael’s expression morphed into confusion but he said nothing, waiting for Simon to speak up. He opened his mouth a few times, clambering for words, nothing coming out for a moment. When he found his voice, everything tumbled out in a rush.

“Actually, I was going to ask….Can we get married? C-can I marry you? I mean, will you? Will you marry me?”

Raphael didn’t move. He didn’t breath. He didn’t say a single word and his face didn’t so much as twitch. He was frozen in place, mouth open and dry. He swallowed a few times, his throat clicking. Simon waited, eyes flickering across Raphael’s face. When Raphael remained silent, he spoke again. “We don’t have to do it right away, fuck, I know we’ve only been together for a year and a half and I don’t even have a ring, you haven’t even said yes and yet I’m still talking but I want you to know, we don’t have to kiss on the altar or have a honeymoon of any type, I just...I just want to marry you. I just want you. Really badly. Because like...you’re, you’re _it_ for me. I can feel it.”

Simon had dropped his eyes to the floor, afraid of what Raphael’s prolonged silence meant and only looked up when he heard Raphael’s stuttering inhale, following soon after by a choked off noise.

Raphael was crying. _Actually crying_ , Simon thought in shock, tears sliding down his cheeks as quickly as he could wipe them away. He inhaled again, the sound ragged as it clawed its way through his gritted teeth. Despite all this, he was beaming at Simon, a full on blinding grin that Simon was sure he’d never seen in his life.

“Claro que me casaré contigo.” _Of course I'll marry you._ Raphael whispered, more tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. He sniffled and wiped at them. “You idiota. You’re supposed to be awful with words, you constantly spout _nonsense_ and then for you to turn around and say all that...” Raphael hiccupped, wiping his eyes again and chucking. “Yes, Si, mi amor, of course I’ll marry you.” He repeated himself, realizing his boyfriend hadn’t understood his answer the first time.

Simon returned his laughter, clutching the man closer to him and stammering in excitement. “Okay. Good. Awesome. That’s awesome.” He laughed again, breathy and grinning his usual crooked, dopey smile. “Awesome!”

Raphael rolled his eyes, wiping the final few tears from his face with another barely restrained hiccup. “Dios, Simon. Can’t you be serious for longer than five minutes?”

Simon shook his head. “No way. And you love me for it. You want to marry me for it!” His grin was huge, euphoric and wonderful. The sight of Simon’s face stirred up an overwhelming amount of emotions, threatening to make him tear up again.

“You’re right. I do.”

“You’ll be saying that again.” Simon poked him playfully in the side, right where he knew the man was ticklish. Raphael squeaked and pushed him away, his regular glare back full force.

“Not now I won’t.”

“No take backs!”

Raphael groaned as Simon walked backwards into the kitchen, wiggling his eyebrows triumphantly. He was going to say something more when he tripped over his own feet and stumbled into the nearby wall.

Raphael turned on his heel and walked away, shaking his head in exasperation.

_Why was he with this man again?_

“Hey, Rapha! You want the bowtie noodles or the weird wiggly ropey ones? You know, the ones that look like...well, weird wiggly ropes?”

 _That’s why_ , he thought with a smile. _That’s why._

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just a little update for Saphael. This is a flashback to about 2 months into their relationship. Simon has been hired by Alec at this point but doesn't know about Magnus in connection to him. Anyway! Lots of discussion of sexuality in this one. Asexual Raphael is really important to me and so is Pansexual Simon, who are both just big dorks who need all the comfort they can get from one another.

****

_ 2 months missing _

 

“So, what is the deal with you and Magnus?” Simon asked, flopping himself onto the sofa next to Raphael, who was sitting with a novel open in his lap. He didn’t acknowledge Simon at first, his eyes still scanning the page as he thought over how to respond. He grabbed his bookmark from the side table and put it in place, closing the cover and tapping his fingers on it as he stared off at the wall across from them. There were a few photos on the mantle, including one of him on his 21st birthday, passed out at the counter of Magnus’ favorite bar, with Magnus standing over him, a grin on his face and two thumbs up toward the camera. The thought of that night made his stomach turn with nausea, a constant reminder of why he refused to go out drinking with Magnus ever again.

“Rapha?” Simon’s voice broke through the memory, causing Raphael to turn his head. He cleared his throat and folded his legs up under him, getting comfortable and resting one elbow on the back of the couch to face Simon. The worry on Simon’s face was replaced with a soft smile as he gazed at the man he was dating, wrapped in one of Simon’s old college sweatshirts and a pair of black silk pajama bottoms, no doubt a gift from Magnus. He loved that only he got to see the man outside the suit and the frown, the natural curls Raphael usually slicked back forming a fluffy crown on his head that made Simon want to run his hands endlessly through them. 

“Magnus is, for lack of a better term, my father. As you know, my mother Guadalupe died when I was eight years old. Magnus was a friend of hers and she requested prior to her death that he take me in. He honored her wishes and raised me so I wouldn’t have to go into the system. I have to say, for a teenager, he was a pretty good father. I think my mother sensed a maturity in him beyond his years.” Raphael propped his head on his hand as he spoke, fidgeting with a loose string on the sweatshirt he wore. 

“So, what, he was like, 19 or something?” Simon asked. Raphael shook his head.

“18, actually. Magnus had been living in Mexico since he was about 16 and had become a friend of my mother’s while working at the market shop she liked to frequent to get her fresh ingredients. He started delivering them instead, watching me whenever she had to go to work. He has been in my life for almost as long as I can remember.” Raphael looked over at the photo again and smiled. “He really was beyond his years. He homeschooled himself after his mother died. He had no other family. Refused to go into foster care, despite being 8 years old. He told me he was raised by some creepy church cult until he was 13.” Raphael rolled his eyes. “But Magnus liked to stretch the truth, so who knows about that one.”

Simon smiled, reaching out to lay a comforting hand on Raphael’s.

“That’s pretty awesome. I mean, not that your mom died obviously, but Magnus totally did a good job. They both did. I wish I could have met...either of them.” Simon finished awkwardly, realizing what he had said. Raphael tensed slightly, Simon feeling the flex of his fingers beneath his palm. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up. I uh...fuck, I really stuck my foot in my mouth again. Nice one, Lewis.” He muttered the last part to himself and Raphael couldn’t help but chuckle despite the tightness in his throat.

“It’s alright, mi amor. Magnus...he is out there, somewhere. He is far too tenacious in life to let go of it so easily. If he left of his own accord...he had a good reason to do so.”

“Well, yeah and honestly, who would kidnap that guy? I’ve seen photos, he’s like...big.” Simon said, eyes wide and eyebrows raised in an almost awed expression. Raphael arched a brow, giving Simon a teasing smirk.

“Oh?” 

Simon flushed, red creeping into his cheeks as he stammered. “Well, y-yeah. Like his biceps and stuff and his shoulders but that’s not- like, I don’t mean that you aren’t too, like muscular and all that because you  _ are _ , like seriously, I don’t get it because I’ve never seen you go to the gym but you still have these huge arms and your abs-” Simon interrupted himself, throwing his hands up. “Seriously, Lewis?” He slapped his hands over his face, muffling his words as he tried to hide in shame. “Way to objectify and sexualize your boyfriend to his face.” He made an irritated noise that had Raphael laughing again, scooting closer to Simon on the couch and rubbing a hand along his forearm in comfort.

“Simon, admiring someone’s physique that they worked hard on is not necessarily sexualizing them. Or objectifying them. Now, if all you loved me for was my body and put all my value in it, we would have a problem. But you are allowed to find me attractive.” Raphael offered a reassuring smile. “And if Magnus were here, he’d be flattered by what you said earlier. Honestly, though, where it comes from, I’m not sure. I only ever saw him drink scotch and eat carbs.”  

Simon peeked out from behind his hands and laughed, though Raphael could hear how forced it was. They had only been dating for about 2 months and Simon was still very on edge about making Raphael uncomfortable when it came to any physical aspect of their relationship. He had himself walking on unnecessary eggshells and it made Raphael more aggravated than he cared to admit out loud. He huffed a sigh and tossed the book in his lap aside before turning to look at Simon, expression suddenly stern. The man straightened up, confused.

“Simon, do you masturbate thinking about me?”

Simon’s eyes widened almost comically, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline in either shock, fear, or a mix of both. “What?! No!” He responded, eyes looking anywhere but Raphael’s, who grit his teeth.

“You’re lying.”

“No, I swear, I’m not!” Simon reiterated, his hands flailing in the air in panic. Raphael frowned, moving a little closer to him and grabbing one of his hands. Simon looked up as he squeezed it in reassurance.

“Simon. I’m not mad at you for doing it, okay? I know you do. I’ve heard it. What makes me mad is that you’re lying.”

At this point, even Simon’s ears were starting to flush red, and he was about to defend himself when Raphael narrowed his eyes and held up a hand.

“I’m not done. I want you to listen, okay? This is a conversation we need to have, since I haven’t made it clear enough, apparently.”  Raphael paused, taking a deep breath as he prepared the right words in his head. “Okay. You know, that I am asexual. I told you when we started dating. I don’t feel any sexual attraction to you, or anyone for that matter. I never have, in all 21 years of my life. I can see that you are attractive, I’m not blind. You take very good care of your body and you have wonderful bone structure.” A tiny smile twitched at the edge of Raphael’s lips. Simon ducked his head, cheeks still tinged with color.  “And I think you’re adorable. Your soft hair, your big brown eyes, your expressive eyebrows, the way you talk with your hands. I think all of that is wonderful. All of you, is wonderful. And it is, entirely, one hundred percent  _ okay _ for you to be physically attracted to me.” 

Simon looked almost embarrassed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Okay. Okay, I mean...yeah. I have. A few times. Sometimes.” He shrugged, voice almost too quiet for Raphael to hear him. “It’s just...you’re the first guy I’ve ever dated and I’m not used to having someone to be openly attracted to, like sexually. And I never really came out, I mean, my family still hasn’t met you. It makes me nervous sometimes, I get all wrapped up in my head and worry that I make you uncomfortable and then that brings back the weird guilt of being attracted to you and I know I shouldn’t have that because its fine, you’ve told me it’s fine.” Simon paused, searching for words, biting his lip in concentration. “But I didn’t fall for your body, I fell for you. And the way you glared at me when you realized I made your coffee order wrong just so you’d come back up to the counter. Your awesome body was totally just a plus.” Simon finished his long winded ramble and Raphael continued to rub his thumb back and forth across his boyfriend’s forearm, nodding as he spoke.

“The point that I am trying to make is that your own sexuality shouldn’t make you uncomfortable because you think it makes me uncomfortable. I notice the way you get all stressed and tense when you see me get out of the shower or when I’m getting dressed. If you seeing me naked made me uncomfortable, I wouldn’t let you. But it doesn’t bother me. You know my limits. No touching without clothing, no sex, no touching below the belt ever...I’ve told you all of this. So stop second guessing yourself and making  _ yourself _ uncomfortable.” Raphael finished his speech, face open and honest as he gazed at Simon.

Simon shifted in his seat, looking down at his hands. “You mean all that?”

“Of course, idiota. I don’t say things I don’t mean. I don’t have time for that.” Simon laughed softly at Raphael’s comment and lay his head on the couch cushions. Brown eyes gazed at Raphael, a gentle and content expression on Simon’s face. Something tugged in Raphael’s chest, a feeling that was relatively foreign to him and he swallowed harshly. “I...really care about you. I like spending the night here with you. I like talking with you. I like...being with you. I want you to be comfortable with yourself as much I am with you.” 

Simon sighed, almost dreamily, as he looked at Raphael, a goofy smile stretching across his face. “Have I mentioned how awesome you are? Like seriously, you’re so awesome.” 

Raphael scoffed and pulled away, standing up and holding out his hand. “Your vocabulary leaves something to be desired sometimes, mi amor. Now, come to bed with me?” 

Simon took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled from the couch, shaking his head as he followed Raphael down the hallway to the bedroom. 

“You totally said that that way on purpose, Rapha.”

Raphael chuckled, a deep almost rumbling noise in his chest that made Simon’s heart swell. “Well, you can thank Magnus for that. Sometimes his humor slips through the cracks of my superior personality.”

Simon rolled his eyes and flopped onto the mattress, bouncing before settling into place against the pillows. He yawned and stretched, sinking into the comforter. Sleeping clothed still threw him off a little but if it meant that Raphael would climb in next to him, as he did just now, reaching out to grab Simon’s hand and intertwine their fingers, then Simon would go to bed in a full suit of armor just to be able to fall asleep staring into his eyes.

Call him a sap, but Simon was pretty sure he was in love. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meet-cute, you guys! This takes place just a few weeks before Magnus goes missing, and Simon doesn't know Alec yet. Hopefully you all like it!

_ Two weeks before Magnus’ disappearance _

 

“Okay, Simon, see the guy that just walked in? Do not, _ under any circumstances _ , get his order wrong!” Maia hissed, jabbing Simon in the side as she stepped away from taking orders at the counter. Simon’s head jerked up and he spilled the milk he was pouring, splashing it onto his apron. His face scrunched up. 

“Maia, what the hell?”

She tossed him a towel and gestured to the door with her chin, where a man had entered and was walking toward the counter. “That is Raphael. He is some attorney or assistant attorney or whatever, and a huge grump. I heard that the last barista that fucked up his order quit because he scared her. Like, literally terrified her.” Maia whispered to him before she hurried back to the counter. Simon turned to look at the guy she was bothering him about, now that he was done cleaning the spilled milk off of himself.

Holy shit.

Oh no.

Simon gulped. The man at the counter was  _ gorgeous _ . Like, out of this world, from a comic book, perfect video game model gorgeous. He had slicked back hair, dark and perfectly styled, a strong jawline and a set of shoulders that made Simon weak in the knees, even covered by the perfectly fitted suit he was wearing. His irritated expression didn’t change at all as he gave Maia his order and Simon found himself wondering how a cold look like that managed to make the man even more attractive. As he was staring, mouth open, he heard someone say his name, which caused tall, dark, and handsome’s head to jerk up from where he had been looking at his phone, his exceptionally dark eyes narrowing when they met Simon’s. Simon squeaked and turned toward Maia, who was holding a cup out to him. 

“Simon? Hello? You in there? You have drinks to make, dude.” She pushed the cup into his hands and checked to make sure Raphael wasn’t looking before she looked back at Simon, mouthing  _ ‘what the fuck was that?’ _ and shaking her head. Simon turned red, stammering to make up an excuse before giving up and turning to make Raphael’s drink.

Which he noticed was needlessly complicated.

“Venti, Quad, Nonfat, One-Pump, No-Whip, Mocha, 120 degrees?” Simon muttered under his breath. Four shots of espresso? 120 degrees? Who the hell orders their coffee like this? Simon cast a glance over at the man, who was now off to the side waiting, phone still in hand. He looked back down at the cup in his hand before looking back at Raphael. Back to the cup. Back to Raphael.

He wouldn’t notice is the coffee was just a little bit colder, right? 

And even if he did, would it be so bad to be yelled at by someone that pretty?

_ What kind of shit are you into, Lewis? _

Simon shook his head at himself and proceeded to make the coffee.

And purposefully made it at 100 degrees. 

He may have also ‘forgotten’ a shot of espresso.

When he called the man’s name and handed him his coffee, their fingers brushed together and somewhere in the back of Simon’s head, a voice shouted about cliches. He nodded curtly, offering a smile he hoped was polite and  _ didn’t  _ make him look like a crazy person before he turned away to make the next drink, watching Raphael leave out of the corner of his eye.

One minute passed.

Two minutes.

Three minutes later and the man walked back into the coffee shop, making a beeline toward the counter. Maia’s eyes widened and she hastily shoved Simon toward the register, grabbing the drink he was making to finish it for him.

“You made my drink.” Raphael spoke as soon as Simon met him at the counter, glowering and setting the cup on the counter with a little more force than necessary. Simon took a deep breath, feeling his stomach clench in nervousness and excitement. The man’s voice was deep, lightly accented and smooth despite the irritation clear in it. Simon nodded while also wondering silently to himself why the hell he had made a customer angry  _ just to talk to him. _ Why didn’t he just ask for people’s numbers like a normal person?

“Uh, yes. Yes, I did.” Simon cleared his throat, realising he hadn’t answered and had just been staring at the man in silence the whole time.

“You made it wrong. Why?” Raphael asked, brow furrowed as he stared at Simon.

“I’m sorry, w-why? It was an accident, sir.” Simon answered, shifting his eyes away from the focused stare. This dude was intense and Simon would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t a little afraid. 

And slightly turned on. 

“Was it?” The man pressed.

Simon licked his lips and flailed for a response. “I’m not sure why you think I would make a mistake on purpose, I can remake it if you like-”

Raphael cut Simon off, raising his hand. He cocked his head, narrowing his eyes at Simon’s apron.

“Hmm. Simon. Right, listen. Do you know a woman by the name of Lily? Dark long hair, short, wears a suit? Comes in here usually every day around this time?” Simon’s brow furrowed but he nodded. He knew Lily. She was a stoic woman, always on a tight schedule and not one for small talk according to the rest of the crew but Simon had always found her to be friendly and they had had a fair amount of polite conversations together while he made her multiple coffee orders.

“Yeah, I know her. Why? What does she have to do with this?”

“Lily usually picks up my coffee for me. I’m never in here, this is probably only the third time I’ve picked up my coffee myself. But I always order the same thing either way. And it’s  _ always  _ correct. And multiple times, Lily has mentioned the cute barista with the goofy smile and the nerdy apron made my coffee. She is always trying to set me up and insists that you’re my type, but that isn’t the point. Why did you fuck up my coffee order, Simon, when you’ve obviously made it before?” Raphael had crossed his arms, causing his suit to stretch over his biceps, momentarily distracting the floundering barista. After his brain caught up to what Raphael had said, he gaped, mouth opening and closing.

“I...I’m sorry, what? What makes you think  _ I’m  _ the barista she is talking about?” Simon asked defensively. Though, now that he thought about it, the coffee order had seemed familiar. Typically he was too busy to really care and he just made every order on autopilot. Seeing the man behind the complicated espresso must have just caught him off guard and made him actually stop and think about the order itself.

Raphael flushed slightly at Simon’s question, causing the barista’s eyes to widen in realization.

“You think I’m cute?” 

Raphael cleared his throat. “Your apron has a superhero thing on it. Kind of a giveaway, the nerdy apron.” He took a deep breath, avoiding Simon’s eyes. Simon’s grin only widened.

“No way. Maia, Bat,  _ and _ Maureen all have nerdy aprons. You assumed I’m the barista Lily was talking about because you think I’m cute!” Simon smirked, feeling proud of himself. Suddenly, the smile fell off his face. “Holy shit, you think I’m cute.”

Raphael’s blush only darkened and he rubbed the back of his neck. He checked to make sure there wasn’t a line behind him before looking back at Simon, who was still staring, looking mildly worried. “Look, I don’t normally do this. I’m a busy guy and I don’t...like people. But would you like to get something other than coffee with me sometime? Maybe lunch?” 

Simon was frozen. He knew he should answer. He  _ wanted  _ to answer. But all he could do was stare, mouth hanging open in shock. He wondered internally if he had fallen and hit his head and was debating pinching himself or sticking his hand in hot water to wake himself up when-

“Yes, he would love that. In fact, it’s his lunch right now.” Maia’s voice piped in from behind Simon and he felt her untie his apron with a quick whip of her wrist, pulling it off over his head before he even had a chance to argue. She smirked, pushed him lightly toward the exit from behind the counter, and whirled away with his apron in hand. Simon turned, presumably to argue with her, when a hand caught his hand over the counter. He whipped his head back over to see Raphael, a small smile on his face and a brow arched.

“Please?” 

Simon made a high pitched noise in his throat, from either surprise at the polite question or the fact that the man across from him got somehow  _ even more _ attractive with a smile on his face. Either way, Simon nodded mutely, and Raphael let go of his hand to let him walk around the counter. Simon instantly missed the warm grip and shoved his hands in his pockets to avoid doing anything impulsive, like grab the hand of a man he met five minutes ago. Raphael’s smile widened and he gestured with his head toward the door.

“I know a place that makes wonderful tamales, if you’d like?”

Simon nodded again, the large goofy smile that Lily had no doubt been referring to spreading on his face. “I like very much.”

Raphael was surprised when the odd statement made him laugh and judging by the shocked look on his face, Simon was too. Moments later, after realizing how poor his grammar had been, did he feel his cheeks warm in embarrassment. Raphael shook his head, a smile somehow still playing at his lips, and led Simon out of the coffee shop.

“You really are cute.” 

Simon smiled at the remark and Raphael decided quickly that Lily was right.

The cute barista with the goofy smile and the nerdy apron was very much his type.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place sometime after Chapter 19 of DMC. More angst! Well, actually more hurt and comfort and wonderful communication between two of our favorite boys. Hope you enjoy! Nothing is more important than talking things out, always remember that, ya'll. It can save you from a lot of pain. <3

All night, Raphael had noticed Simon was off. The man avoided looking at him for most of dinner with Alec and Magnus and even now, he barely glanced at Raphael as they got ready for bed. Simon had touched him far less than usual the whole night, not even any of his usual spontaneous hand holding.

Raphael was worried.

He didn’t often get worried about their relationship. Simon had always stood by his side and their fights had never lasted longer than a day or so. They prided themselves on communicating with one another, something that they had both lacked in previous relationships. Raphael always made sure Simon didn’t think himself into a downward spiral and Simon had a knack for pulling Raphael from even his foulest moods. They were best friends, even on the days when Raphael wanted nothing more than to gag Simon with one of his dorky t-shirts for some well deserved silence. Raphael was sure there were days when all Simon wanted was for him to make an effort to not be an asshole for once.

They weren’t perfect for each other.

But they wanted to be together, so they made the effort.

And right now, as Simon climbed into the bed, pulling the covers up to his shoulders and fiddling with his phone, Raphael had a feeling that something was bothering him and he intended to find out what it was.

He wasn’t known as one of the best attorneys around for nothing.

“So, what did you think of the man who taught me the majority of what I know?” Raphael asked casually as he tugged on a t-shirt, tying the drawstrings of his pajama pants and throwing back the covers to climb into bed. Simon barely glanced away from his phone.

“Oh, uh, Magnus was great. Seriously, everything you said he would be and all that.” Raphael narrowed his eyes, settling his head on the pillow and facing Simon, though he couldn’t see his face completely with his phone in the way. He sounded distracted, almost as if he wasn’t really listening to Raphael.

“Yeah? Tonight was more awkward than I thought it’d be. I blame Alec. He needs to come clean before everything blows up in his face. El karma es una perra.”  _Karma's a bitch._

“Mhmm.” Simon’s responding hum made Raphael arch a brow in disbelief. The man wasn’t listening at all, barely even acknowledging he existed, in fact. Raphael knew Simon could get distracted but this was deliberate avoidance. Normally, he craved any chance to talk about something, especially gossip. Raphael paused before he spoke again, testing his theory.

“I was thinking of becoming a stripper.” He said, keeping his tone nonchalant but his eyes focused intently on Simon’s reaction.

Which was nothing.

He barely blinked, eyes glued to his phone.

“Mi amor?.”

No response.

“Si?”

Silence.

“Simon!” Raphael finally snapped, reaching out and jerking the phone from Simon’s hand. He took the offending device and tossed it further down the bed, out of reach between their legs. Simon’s eyes snapped to attention.

“What the hell was that for?” He asked, gesturing. Raphael glared, propping himself up on one elbow.

“That was for ignoring me. What is going on with you? All night you barely speak to me, look at me, anything!” He felt the headache that had been building all night start to throb painfully in his temples and he clenched his jaw. “If something is wrong, don’t I deserve to know rather than just getting the cold shoulder?”

Simon’s face closed off, his eyes averting toward the bedspread. He fiddled with the edge of his pillow as Raphael waited for an answer. When one didn’t come, Raphael spoke again.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No. No, Rapha, it’s the exact opposite.” Simon looked pained, rubbing at his forehead and rolling over onto his back away from Raphael as he mumbled his answer.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Raphael shifted a little closer, reaching out to lay a hand on Simon’s where it was resting on his chest. The man flinched slightly but didn’t move his hand away.

“I...The courthouse. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Raphael rubbed his thumb over Simon’s knuckles, settling his head back onto the pillow with a confused look. They were about a foot away now and still, Simon refused to turn and look him in the eyes.

“The person following you? Simon, mi amor, I’m sure Alec has it under control. Why would you worry-”

“The kiss, Raphael. _The fucking kiss_.” Simon growled. Raphael pulled back slightly in surprise, watching as his fiance’s jaw clenched tight enough to make the muscles twitch. He blinked a few times as he tried to understand the man’s sudden mood change.

“The...kiss? What about it? We talked about this, Simon, I wasn’t uncomfor-”

“I WAS! And I am now!” The man snapped, sitting up suddenly and jerking his hand out of Raphael’s grasp. He was now staring directly at Raphael for the first time all night, an unreadable expression on his face. Raphael sat up slowly, opening and closing his mouth as he struggled to find a response. He couldn’t think of anything and eventually just settled for a simple question.

“Why?”

Simon ran a hand through his hair in frustration, ruffling the already messy waves. He exhaled harshly through his teeth and tugged on the locks. “You don’t get it, do you? Do you even _think_ about me? Do you even think about how _hard_ it might be for me to deal with, when- when my boyfriend of a year and a half, who I’ve never kissed for longer than 30 seconds, pins me up against a pillar, pushes his whole body against me and makes out with me for a full blown minute? Did you even think about what your cute little distraction technique might do to me?” Simon’s breath was coming in harsh pants by the time he finished, his eyes yet again avoiding Raphael’s face. He inhaled sharply, choking on his next breath with what sounded suspiciously like a sob.

Raphael sat quietly, unsure of how to respond. Simon took his silence as a signal to continue.

“I know how it is for you, Raphael, and I’m not trying to- to guilt you into feeling bad for me. I don’t want that, I don’t want you thinking that my life is ‘so hard’ because my fiance is asexual, that’s not what I’m trying to say, I-” Simon stammered, rubbing his hands over his face in exasperation as he struggled for words. “But it is, it is hard. Sometimes. Or at least, now. I was fine before, really, I didn’t need more, didn’t even want it, but now that I know how that feels, how you feel…” Simon choked up again, tears of confusion and frustration shining in his eyes. He groaned, slamming his hands down into his lap.

“Why is this so hard? I was _fine_. Everything was fine but, Rapha, it felt...it felt so good. I want more. That’s...that’s the problem. I want more of that. And I...I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to hurt you.” The tears spilled over, dripping slowly down Simon’s face as he sat, hunched over on himself.

“Simon...I don’t know what to say. I suppose you’re right though. I...I  _didn’t_ think about what it might do to you.” Raphael cleared his throat, nervously twisting the blanket pooled in his lap around in his hands.

“I just...I’m sorry, Rapha. I’m sure once I get some more sleep and time goes by, I’ll be fine. I’ll forget about it.”

“But you won’t. Now anytime we kiss, you’ll think about that one.” Raphael was quiet, resigned. Simon’s heart ached at the position he put his fiance in and he shifted on the bed to face him, reaching for Raphael’s hand and grasping it tightly between both of his own.

“No, Raph, wait. That’s not true.”

“It is, Simon. Whether you know it or not. Listen, I...I’m not promising I can give you more. I can’t. Sex will never be on the table, you know that. It’s not even an option. The kissing...the kissing is okay. The other day at the courthouse, really. It didn’t bother me. In fact, it was nice. It felt nice. I wasn’t...turned on like you were but it was nice. Maybe it can happen again, sometimes-”

“No! No, no. No making sacrifices for me. Please. That’s not what I want. I don’t want you to change. I don’t...I don’t know what I want.”

Raphael felt Simon squeeze his hand and looked up, eyes dark and unsure. “I’m sorry.”

Simon scooted a bit closer, only stopping when their knees touched. He reached out, hesitantly placing a hand on his fiance’s neck and pulling his face closer to press their foreheads together. Simon rubbed his thumb back and forth on the man’s exposed skin as their eyes met.

“Don’t be. I...I do know what I want. I want you, Raphael. Just you, as you are. I’m sorry, I’m being an idiot. I didn’t mean to ruin the night, I-”

“Simon, it’s okay.”

“It isn’t, Raphael, I can’t believe I said all that and made you feel like this. I’m just as bad as-”

“Don’t. Simon, don’t you dare compare yourself to him.” Raphael growled, his grip on Simon’s hand tightening. Simon fell silent. Raphael took a deep breath before continuing.

“Simon, I will kiss you if I want to kiss you. Obviously, only if you’re okay with it but you understand what I mean. But if you go forward now thinking that I only kiss you to make you happy, that I only touch you or, or be intimate in any way with you just for you...our relationship will suffer. I need you to remember who _I_ am. You know me, Simon. Do I do anything for other people if I don’t want to do it?” Raphael asked, face serious. Simon shook his head slightly. “Exactly. So trust me when I say that yes, I am asexual and I will never want to have sex with you. That I am sure of. But kissing you? Kissing you is wonderful. It’s intimate. It’s romantic and I enjoy it far more with you than I ever have with anyone else. I may not always want it. But when I do, I don’t do it for you, mi amor.”

Simon stared at Raphael, eyes wide and full of relief. Raphael smiled softly and rubbed small circles on Simon’s shoulder as he continued. “When we first started dating, I said no touching without clothing. And now, I have some days where I’m actually pretty okay with sleeping shirtless with you. And I can safely say that before you, I hated kissing anyone. Yet now, I think I kiss you everyday, in some way or another. None of this means that I’m not asexual. It _definitely_ doesn’t mean that I finally met the ‘right person’ and suddenly I’m ‘cured,’” Simon made a wounded noise at the term but Raphael brushed it off. “What it means is that I’m just a little bit different than I used to be. And the things that I do with you physically, as selfish as it sounds, are for me and me only.”

Simon smiled weakly. “S’not selfish.” He mumbled, yawning into his hand. Raphael rolled his eyes.

“I’m not perfect, contrary to what you might think. Selfish is at the top of my list of flaws.”

Simon shook his head and exhaled a watery laugh, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.

“You’re literally a _defense_ attorney. Selfish, my ass.” Simon paused and laughed again. “I’m imagining all of those people who think you’re such a hardass knowing how sappy you actually are.” He pulled away, stretching his back out and catching a glimpse of the clock on the side table. His smile turned into a frown, brow creasing in concern. “Its 2 AM. You have court in the morning, Rapha, I’m-”

“Don’t. Don’t you dare say it. No more apologies. Let’s just get some rest, okay?” Raphael nodded his head toward the pillows. “And I’m not sappy.” He cast Simon a soft glare as they lay down, both of them facing one another. Raphael debated for a moment before shifting onto his back and holding an arm out. Simon stared at him, eyebrows raised. Raphael rolled his eyes and gestured him close again. “Come on then.”

Simon moved closer, tucking his arm under Raphael’s shoulders and laying his head on the man’s chest. “Sure, this isn’t sappy.” Simon muttered under his breath, earning himself another weak glare from the other man. Wordlessly, Raphael curled his arm around Simon’s shoulders and sighed, relaxing into the mattress. Simon hesitantly lay his arm across Raphael’s waist, silently enjoying the rare cuddling as it wasn’t often that Raphael wanted to sleep like this. He didn’t like being pinned down, which, as a person who flailed a lot in their sleep, Simon totally understood. The thought struck him that maybe Raphael was only doing it to comfort him and he tensed up, moving to pull his arm away from where it was laying on his fiance’s stomach.

“Simon.” The single utterance of his name was enough to make him leave his arm where it was and smile sheepishly against Raphael’s t-shirt despite knowing the man couldn’t see him. It was his lawyer voice, the one that left no room for argument, and it always stopped Simon in his tracks.

“Sorry.”

“Shh. More sleeping, less worrying.”

Simon sighed again, closing his eyes and doing his best to relax into his fiance’s embrace. “Te amo, Rapha.” He mumbled against the man’s chest, already feeling the exhaustion he had been fighting for a few hours start to take over. Raphael smiled sleepily and pressed a kiss to Simon’s head.

“No tanto como te amo.”  _Not as much as I love you._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place somewhere after chapter 25 of DMC. Just some fluffy goodness for you all. Also, my knowledge of Judaism and Catholicism is severely limited, as I am not religious. Please know I did my best and tried to do as much research as possible and if anything is wrong, don't hesitate to correct me!

“I was thinking you could meet my family.” 

It was 6:30 in the morning. Raphael had just gotten back from picking up his coffee order not ten minutes ago and was already buried up to his ears in files of evidence for the case he was supposed to be in court for tomorrow. He’d been out of bed for an hour.

Leave it to Simon to be a better wake up call than four shots of espresso and pictures of dead bodies.

“¿Que?” Raphael’s head jerked up from his paperwork, the coffee cup stopping half raised to his lips. Simon was perched on the bar stool opposite him at Alec’s small, two person dining table, his brown hair a wild mess and still wearing his matching set of Darth Vader pajamas. Judging from the lazy slope of his eyes, he’d crawled out of bed no more than five minutes ago, likely awoken by the smell of coffee and the fresh almond biscottis he liked so much. He was already eyeing the pastry bag near Raphael’s elbow. He cast a hopeful, sleepy glance at his fiance, who was still staring at him in disbelief.

“Did you get…?” Simon trailed off, looking back at the bag.

Raphael set his coffee down and pushed the bag toward Simon, who snagged it gleefully from the table. “Of course. And your god awful instant coffee is brewing in the kitchen. I still don’t understand how you drink that sludge.”

Simon scoffed, or tried to but his mouth was full of biscotti and he only succeeded in spitting crumbs all over Raphael’s files. He wiped them away apologetically and chewed faster, swallowing the bite in his mouth so he could speak. “I was a barista for far too long, Rapha, and if I have another sugary latte or  _ any  _ sort of flavored syrup again in my lifetime, it will be too soon. That coffee shop ruined my palate. I’ll take Alec’s shitty instant coffee any day.” He shoved the rest of the biscotti into his mouth and hopped off the stool, disappearing into the kitchen and reappearing with a steaming mug a moment later. Raphael cast a glance at it and just like he suspected, it was almost as light as the manila folder he was currently holding. 

“It seems like you like milk more than instant coffee, mi amor.”

“It helps it cool off faster.” Simon argued weakly, blowing over the top of the mug before taking a slow sip. Raphael hummed, not believing him but deciding against pursuing it. He tried to go back to his trial preparation, looking over the witness list in front of him, but his mind kept straying back to Simon’s earlier, seemingly random statement. The man across from him was sitting silently, munching on another biscotti from the bag and occasionally taking a drink of his milk and coffee mixture whilst he scrolled through his morning emails and checked social media. He didn’t look as if he was going to elaborate on his statement, in fact, he looked as if he’d completely forgotten about it, his eyes laser focused on an Instagram video of Clary splashing paint on canvas.

“So, the family?” Raphael asked casually, arching a brow in his fiance’s direction. Simon looked up from his phone, hurriedly swallowing his gulp of coffee. 

“Oh yeah! I got a call from Becky, you know, my sister, and she just finished getting her degree at NYU School of Medicine. And she wants to catch up. Make up for lost time. We have barely talked over the last two years, what with everything going on with her college stuff and my...mob stuff? Anyway, uh. Our catching up is going to involve talking about our lives and you’re part of my life and I want you to meet her.”

Raphael nodded along as Simon spoke, watching the man stumble anxiously over his words. He knew Simon had a strained relationship with most of his living family. He talked to his Bubbie Helen regularly, about once a month, but she lived in Florida and Simon kept their conversations vague when it came to his personal life. From what he’d told Raphael, he and Rebecca had a falling out about two years ago, around the same time Simon left home and stopped speaking with their mother. Elaine had been deep into her alcoholism at that point, and Rebecca had blamed Simon for it worsening, citing that Simon had no right to abandon their mother when she needed him, that he should take care of her even if it stressed him out a little. 

Raphael hadn’t seen any of this, of course, it was before he came into Simon’s life but the man had told him enough for him to understand. Simon couldn’t handle watching his mother fall apart, couldn’t handle the stress of having to care for her everyday like she was a child, and when she asked him for grocery money and spent it on alcohol, it was the last straw. It had a long lasting effect on the man, one that Raphael still saw to this day. Simon had a bad habit of putting other people’s feelings and wellbeing before his own and he had no doubt that experience was where the root of that problem stemmed from.

“I’ll admit, I’m...wary. You’ve never wanted me to meet your family before.”

Simon shrugged half heartedly. “I have, but I never felt like they...cared, I guess? Why would I bother introducing the most important person in my life to someone who doesn’t care? But Becky sounded...she sounded really sorry. I think she’s matured and realized that the situation I was in wasn’t easy on anyone and that mom needed more help than I could offer. So I think that we can finally start rebuilding our relationship, you know? ” He shrugged again, looking down at his hands as he turned the mug around in circles on the table. There was a beat of silence between them and Raphael narrowed his eyes at Simon’s fidgeting hands.

“There’s more you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”

Simon lifted his mug and took another gulp of coffee, keeping his eyes down. “Uh. Well. Yeah. My mom.”

Raphael set the witness list down and reached across the table to grab one of Simon’s hands as he set the mug aside, threading their fingers together. He waited in silence for him to continue. 

Simon took a deep breath and laughed nervously. “Wow, this shouldn’t be so hard. Uh. Okay. My mom...my mom wants to have family dinner. Becky says she finished rehab a while back and she’s been sober for almost a year, which is great and I guess she wants to apologize to me too? But this is all happening really quickly and it’s very out of the blue and I can’t, I can’t do this alone. I haven’t seen either of them in almost two years and the last thing I need is another guilt trip or some interrogation-”

“When is it? The dinner.” Raphael interrupted his rambling, taking a thoughtful drink of his cooling coffee. Simon’s brows scrunched together and he grabbed his phone, scrolling through some texts before he found his answer.

“It’s next month. The 25th. I know you probably have court-”

Raphael waved his hand in a dismissive motion. “I’ll rearrange some things. It won’t be an issue.”

Simon’s eyes lit up, his hand squeezing Raphael’s. “Really?”

“Simon, we’ve been together for a year and a half. We are engaged. You think I’m going to say no to meeting your family, even if it unnerves me? You’ve seen mine.” Raphael scoffed. “Magnus is far more likely to send some someone screaming than your family is, I’m sure. He is, quite literally, a murderous criminal.” 

Simon rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand, the tension in his shoulders easing. “I guess you’re right. But I never came out to them and what if they find out that we’re engaged, did we even want to tell them we’re engaged? They’re just going to ask about the ceremony and the dates and we haven’t planned anything and no, we haven’t even  _ talked  _ about our wedding. I’m Jewish and you’re Catholic and my Bubbie Helen won’t mind an interfaith wedding, she is shockingly open to things these days, but my  _ mom _ -”

“Simon. Simon, calm down.” Raphael smoothed his thumb over Simon’s hand, waiting for the man to slow down. He took a deep breath, clamping his mouth shut with a wide eyed look. Raphael gave him an easy smile.

“We have as much time as we want to plan this wedding. And if your mother can’t accept that I won’t be converting, she doesn’t need to attend. And I know that her disapproval might hurt, but we don’t need her permission to marry the way we want to. And I’ve never needed her approval to love you.” A slow, sappy grin spread on Simon’s face and he opened his mouth to say something when Raphael continued. “But, before you go and think all those negative things, give her a chance, ¿si? In my experience, people can be full of surprises.”

Simon’s eyes shifted down to the photos spread on the table. “Yeaaah, but in  _ your  _ experience, Rapha, the surprises tend to be murders.”

Raphael rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away, gathering the various sheets up and into their respective folders. “Regardless. We will figure things out, okay?” He stacked the folders together and rolled his shoulders back, straightening up to make the dull ache in his back disappear. 

_ Dios, he missed his home office. _

“We should probably talk about this whole marriage thing, huh?” Simon asked, pulling Raphael from his thoughts, He looked up to see his fiance resting his chin in his hand, thrumming his fingers in thought along his cheek. 

“There is quite a bit to talk about, yes. Magnus has already agreed to help with the planning. I guess he knows the Archbishop of New York, which will help when we request permission to marry outside of a Catholic church.” 

Simon frowned. “Who said we couldn’t marry in a Catholic church?”

Raphael quirked a brow. “I assumed a neutral location would be best. I wouldn’t want your family being uncomfortable.”

“Don’t Catholics have to get married in a Catholic church for it to be valid?” Simon asked, scratching his head. Raphael nodded.

“Technically, yes. There is a lot more hoops to jump through if we wish to marry elsewhere.”

Simon thought for a moment, pursing his lips. “What if we get married in the church and have two officiants? A rabbi and a priest? I’d like to think my family could put aside any extreme disagreements or opinions for my wedding day. Especially because there will be plenty of Jewish traditions. Right?” Simon asked, suddenly looking worried. Raphael rolled his eyes.

“Simon,  _ of course. _ And as for the two officiates, so long as we get a dispensation from canonical form, that should be just fine.”

“And when are we planning on doing all of this? Because we need to find a church that’s okay with having a chuppah set up in it and we need to find a rabbi  _ and _ a priest that are okay with a gay, interfaith wedding. And I’ll need to get my Bubbie Helen’s flight arranged and my family tallit for the ceremony...” Simon trailed off, getting lost in thought and already looking excited. Raphael couldn’t help the fond smile that tugged at his lips. 

“I think, we need to get this Jonathan business taken care of first, yes? And I should probably  _ meet  _ your family before you go sending them invitations for our Jewish-Catholic gay wedding.”

Simon’s lower lip stuck out in the slightest pout. “Why are you always logical and right?”

Raphael stood up from the bar stool, straightening his light gray suit jacket and pressing a quick kiss to Simon’s forehead. “I’m a lawyer, mi amor. I  _ have  _ to be logical and right. And besides, won’t our wedding be far more enjoyable without a psychopath stalking us?”

Simon snorted and stood, following Raphael into the living room. He ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to tame it best he could. “Maybe but half the wedding guests are going to be part of the mob, so it’s not like we wouldn’t be safe if something did happen.”

Raphael gave him a deadpan look as he picked his briefcase up from the coffee table. “If you think I’m letting a gunfight happen at our wedding-”

“Okay, okay!” Simon relented, smiling as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his pajama pants. “Kill Jonathan,  _ then  _ get married. I got it.”

Raphael huffed an irritated noise. “Dios, Simon, could you at least  _ pretend _ that you’re not working for criminals? Soy abogado.” Raphael gestured to himself as he held up his briefcase pointedly.

Simon was about to respond when his phone rang from where he’d left it on the dining room table. Raphael stepped closer and pressed another quick kiss to his cheek. “I have to go to work. I’ll be home by 5, te prometo. Te amo, mi amor.” He stopped to grab his files from the dining table and was out the door a moment later. Simon shouted after him with a love struck smile.

“Love you too!”

He stood there for a moment, watching Raphael leave, when his phone rang again. He snagged the annoying device and answered it.

“Lewis.”

“So, you gonna tell me who the sexy business man that just left your apartment is?” His sister’s teasing voice came over the line and Simon’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“How did you-? I thought we agreed to meet here for lunch at 3!”

“And good thing I showed up at your place way earlier, just what have you been hiding from me, little bro? That dude was seriously-” 

Simon cut her off. “ _ That dude _ is Raphael and not the point right now! It’s 7 AM!”

“And I’m standing outside your door so…” She trailed off and Simon groaned, hanging up on her and tossing his phone off to the side on the counter. He made his way to the front door and yanked it open. Rebecca was standing there grinning, her phone to her ear. She lowered it and looked him over, her eyes tearing up.

“You look...oh my gosh,  _ Simon _ .” She threw her arms around him in a tight hug, which he returned happily. She squeezed him for a few moments longer before she pulled back to look at him again. “Simon, you look great! You look, all grown up and happy and...oh, I’m so proud of you.” She sniffled quietly and pinched his cheek, causing him to push her hand away with a laugh.

“It was only two years, Becky. And I work an office job, don’t get too proud.”

“Uh, Simon, I looked up rent for this place and I saw the lobby. Whatever ‘office job’ you’re working, keep doing it.” She nudged his shoulder playfully and peeked over his shoulder into the apartment. “Kinda bare though…you gonna invite me in?”

He rolled his eyes and ushered her through the door, locking it behind her. “It’s a temporary apartment, actually. Owned by a friend of mine. So, I don’t pay the rent.”

Rebecca glanced around at the sparse decor before turning back to her brother. “Well, at the very least you have rich  _ friends. _ Is that who the handsome man was? The guy who owns this place?”

Simon shook his head and went over to sit on the edge of the couch. “Is the interrogation necessary?” He arched a brow at her. She flopped on the couch next to him, tossing her coat aside.

“Yes. I haven’t seen you for two years! We have so much to catch up on! Come on, show me some photos, tell me some stories!” She patted his leg excitedly. “Like, who are your friends? If you don’t want to tell me about the handsome guy that just left, tell me about your awesome friend who leant you this place.”

Simon groaned and stood to go grab his phone. He wandered back to the couch and made sure Becky couldn’t see his home screen background of him and Raphael as he pulled up his private Instagram. She leaned against his shoulder as he went to his page and made an irritated noise.

“You have an Instagram? And you didn’t even send me a follow request? Rude!” 

He ignored her and scrolled through his posts until he found the most recent photo he had of Alec. Simon had snapped it when the man wasn’t paying attention, too focused on his own phone to notice what Simon was doing. He was reclined back in his office chair, his long legs stretched out and feet kicked up on his desk. He’d been wearing a dark maroon suit that day, something a little out of the ordinary compared to his usual blue and gray two pieces, and Simon had taken the photo per Isabelle’s request. Even Simon had to admit, his boss looked  _ good _ , the dark shadow of facial hair across his jaw coupled with his serious expression making for an imposing but attractive figure.

“Ho-ly shit.” Rebecca muttered. “Who the hell is that and is he single?”

Simon snorted. “That is my  _ boss. _ The guy who leant me this place. And no, he isn’t single.”

Rebecca whined. “Is it serious?”

“Even if it wasn’t, you wouldn’t have a chance.”

She smacked his leg. “What? Rude! You didn’t get all the good looks in the family, Si!”

Simon gave her an impassive look. “He’s gay, Becks.”

She rolled her eyes, frowning. “Ugh. Of course he is. Fine, well at least he seems to care about you. Most people’s bosses would not lend them an apartment, Si. And most people’s bosses aren’t supermodels.”

He closed Instagram with a laugh. Rebecca made a high pitched noise and snatched his phone before he realized what had happened.

“I knew it! Simon Lewis, how could you keep this from me?” She held the phone up, showing the wallpaper of him and Raphael that he’d made the mistake of displaying when he closed the app. It had been taken at one of their rare vacations, a trip to Disneyland in California that Simon had begged Raphael to take with him and they were standing in the sunshine, Simon with a giant grin on his face and his cheek smushed against Raphael’s, while the other man glowered, his Mickey Mouse ears making the image all the more amusing.

“I...yeah, okay. Raphael is my...boyfriend.” He snatched his phone back from her and sighed.

“Simon, it’s okay. I don’t care that you’re gay.” Rebecca rubbed her hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly.

“Well, I’m not, actually. I’m pansexual, but uh, thanks. We’ve been together a year and a half.” He looked at the photo again, a smile appearing on his lips before he could stop it. Rebecca watched fondly, curling her legs up under her on the couch and squeezing his shoulder. 

“Well then...tell me about Raphael.” 

Simon looked over at her, the lovestruck smile creasing the corners of his eyes with carefree delight.

“Alright, alright. Raphael is...everything.”


End file.
